


my beautiful lilac dream

by BobaAddict



Category: Cookie Run (Video Game)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Apologies, Drinking to Cope, Established Relationship (with WA/H), Falling In Love, Flowers, Language of Flowers, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Miscommunication, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-09-22 17:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17064302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BobaAddict/pseuds/BobaAddict
Summary: Five times Herb came to visit Sparkling’s bar, and one time Sparkling went to visit Herb’s flower shop. (Or, the one where the normally poised and collected bartender loses himself more and more to the florist down the street.)





	1. first meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a gift for my friend Aorin (aorin_apricot)! what can I say, she a lil thirsty for that sparkling/herb content, so much so that I'm here posting the first chapter (per her request) even though I promised myself I'd only start posting once I was done with the entire fic

Sparkling wonders why everybody is so surprised whenever he tells them that he actually _likes_ it when it rains. He’s been told before that he just seems more like the sun kind of cookie, given his outgoing personality and his bubbly appearance, and sure, they aren’t necessarily off about that. He likes the sun, too. But that gentle, rhythmic pitter-patter of the raindrops offers such a unique tranquility that he can’t help but enjoy it while it lasts.

Just like how he is now. It’s 1 in the morning at the bar, he’s wiping his last few glasses clean, and the sound the rain makes when it hits the windows soothes him. There’s just such a difference between this and the way his bar was bustling during its open hours, it’s almost as if the weather itself is telling him that it’s time to wind down.

Right when he finishes wiping the last glass and setting it back on the shelf where it belongs, he hears the front door of the bar open. Surprised, he turns around to see an unfamiliar cookie standing at the entrance, clutching onto a leaf umbrella with both hands and looking almost a little lost.

“...Can I help you?” Sparkling is the first to speak.

The stranger blinks a couple of times, almost like he’s just snapping back to reality. “O-oh! I…” He shuffles his feet, staring down at them. “I… Are you still open? I saw the lights were on and…”

“Ah…” Sparkling rubs the back of his head a little sheepishly. “No, I closed a bit ago. I’m so sorry, I forgot to lock the door. Maybe you can come back another time?”

The other cookie makes a little noise, clearly embarrassed at the mistake. “N-no, it’s my fault! I’m really sorry!” He turns to go back the way he came in.

Maybe it’s the way he seemed so out of it. Maybe it’s the way he’s about to go back out into the rain right after finally finding shelter. Maybe it’s the way his embarrassment makes the bartender feel a little guilty for turning him away. Regardless of why, before he can actually exit, Sparkling finds himself calling out, “Wait.”

The cookie looks over his shoulder.

“I don’t mind one customer after closing time,” Sparkling settles on saying with a gentle smile. “You can take a seat.”

Once his words dawn on the other cookie, he smiles back, looking rather grateful for Sparkling’s charitable offer. “Thank you.” He closes his umbrella and makes his way over to a barstool.

As he sits, Sparkling can’t help but look him up and down now that he’s close enough. His hair is a leafy green, his dough is a light brown, and his eyes are a chocolatey brown; he has on dark clothing underneath a white apron with a leaf emblazoned on it. Through this quick analysis of his appearance, he has a good feeling on what exactly this cookie does.

“Are you a florist?” he asks him.

The other cookie is taken aback. “How did you—”

Sparkling winks with a knowing smile and holds up an empty glass. “I’m a bartender. I know my cookies.” Spinning the glass expertly in his hand, he asks, “What would you like to order?”

The cookie pauses briefly. “Ah, um… Do you have anything without alcohol? I don’t really drink.”

“Most non-drinkers go for my lemonade,” Sparkling replies without missing a beat. “It’s a simple recipe, but I hear it’s quite popular.”

“I’ll have that then,” the cookie says with another smile. It’s quite welcoming and comforting, Sparkling has to admit. “I’m really sorry about all this.”

“And if I really minded, I wouldn’t have offered anything.” Sparkling immediately sets off to make a fresh glass of lemonade for the cookie. “Besides, I like getting to know new customers, Mister…?”

“Ah, I’m Herb Cookie,” the cookie finally introduces himself. “I own the flower shop down the street.”

“Sparkling. And right, I know which one you’re talking about,” Sparkling effortlessly continues to shoot the breeze as he uses his lemon squeezer. “I pass by it everyday on my way here. I’ve never been inside though.”

“That’s funny to hear, since I actually pass by here everyday on my way to work myself,” Herb can’t help but chuckle at the irony. “Looks like we passed by each other until tonight, huh?”

“Heh. I guess you can put it that way.” Sparkling looks up momentarily. “So then, what made you finally come by? At this hour, too.”

Herb falters for a little bit. “It’s… well, it’s a little complicated.”

Sparkling shrugs. “I’ve probably heard worse, but I won’t force you.”

“...I just feel like I’m not really happy with what I do,” Herb blurts out. Realizing the implication of his words, he struggles to clarify, “I-I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love my plants! It’s just… recently, I’ve started thinking that a flower shop isn’t the way to go.”

“Do you want the standard amount of sugar?” Sparkling asks before Herb can continue. Despite the interruption, it’s clear he’s listening.

Herb nods as he carries on, “And for the past week or so, I’ve started looking in through the window here when I pass by, and I can’t help but see the appeal… It’s not that I don’t have any customers at the flower shop, but serving drinks is on a whole other level, if you know what I mean. And I just had this crazy idea that I could open an herbal tea shop, and share my plants with so many more people…”

He trails off, and the rain becomes the only sound audible in the bar. Sparkling finishes up on Herb’s lemonade, setting it down in front of him with a light smile gracing his features. “Usually, it’s only _after_ I give my customers a drink that they start opening up like that.”

Herb looks down at his hands timidly. “Sorry, I just… I was looking in through the window again just now. And I sort of… got the idea to ask for advice since I’m not good with large amounts of people, and before I knew it, I was inside…”

His voice gets quieter with every word, and Sparkling has to strain his ears in order to make out that last part. He shakes his head, making his way around the counter, as the florist takes a sip of his lemonade. “Don’t apologize, I’m really flattered. I take it that I’m the first cookie you’ve told this to?” he guesses as he sits in the stool next to Herb’s. “It sounds like you’ve been bottling that up for a while.”

Herb laughs dryly. “Tell me about it. I’ve been wanting to bring it up to my boyfriend, but I don’t know how he’d take it. He seems a lot more content staying as a florist than I am, and I don’t want to rip that away from him.”

Sparkling shrugs. “Well, you won’t know for sure unless if you actually talk about it, right? And even if he doesn’t share the same dreams, then do you really have to work the same jobs? He can stay at the flower shop while you open up your tea shop.”

Herb gazes down at his lemonade tentatively, staring at his own reflection in the ice. “That’s true, but…”

“...But?”

“...We haven’t been happy,” Herb confesses, with much hesitation in his tone. “We’ve known each other since we were kids, and he’s a really good guy, but it’s like we’ve been falling out of love lately. So I’m just afraid that having this conversation with him will be the last straw…”

Sparkling nods in understanding as Herb explains his predicament. “Yeah, I agree that’s tough. But you still should talk about it with him. If he breaks up with you over that, then to put it bluntly, he just wasn’t the one.”

Herb flinches a little bit when he hears that, opting to sip his drink while avoiding eye contact with Sparkling. “‘Wasn’t the one,’ huh… I’ve spent pretty much my entire life thinking he was the one… What do I do if he isn’t?”

Tracing his fingers over the surface, Sparkling gazes down at his squeaky-clean, wooden counter. “Then he just isn’t. Maybe the right cookie is still out there somewhere, waiting for you to turn their entire life around. It could happen tomorrow, it could happen in years. It all depends on what life wants to throw at us.” His eyes shift over to Herb. “As for advice on how to deal with customers, maybe you should focus on talking to your boyfriend first before you think about that? I’ll be here.”

Herb pauses, then nods in agreement. “Yeah… yeah, you’re right. I’m getting a little ahead of myself.” He sticks his hand in the pocket of his pants and pulls out some change, setting it on the countertop before getting up. “Thanks for listening, I should get going now. I didn’t mean to tell you about all of my problems like that.”

Sparkling waves his hand. “Meh, just a day in the life as a bartender. Try to come back soon, yeah? Let me know how everything works out.”

Herb nods, shooting Sparkling one last smile of gratitude, before picking up his umbrella and walking out of the bar. As the door swings itself shut, the blond cookie continues to sit there on the barstool, eyes fixated on the half-finished lemonade. Eventually, he sighs and stands up, scooping up the money and the glass. What an odd cookie, he can’t help but think, noting that Herb didn’t even bother waiting for his change. Still, he smiles to himself as he recalls how bashful yet eager the florist seemed the entire time, from when he first entered the bar to when he told Sparkling about his tea shop dreams. For some reason, his heart is just a little bit warmer than it was before the encounter.

As he listens to the steady beat of the rain hitting his window, he hopes he sees Herb again sooner rather than later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was originally intended to be a oneshot, until my brain just started expanding on every little "section" of the "5+1" structure to the point where it worked more as a little mini series instead. god I love writing. (hate present tense tho. why did I do this to myself)
> 
> so there we go, the first chapter! I won't lie, out of all the chapters I have written so far, this is the one that I'm the least satisfied with since it's relatively dry, but hey, take it as a little teaser of what to expect out of the 4 other times herb visits the bar ;*
> 
> thank you so much for taking the time to read!! kudos/comments are encouraged!!


	2. flowers.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quickest way to Sparkling’s heart is through the act of gifting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second chapter up already woooo !! if you spot any typos, please alert me to them !! (just putting that out there because I actually majorly messed up the fic summary and didn't even notice until like 2 days in fjfjfjfjf also I did proofread, it's just that I don't know how to read)
> 
> also, this fic's rating has been bumped up to teens and up due to the recurring mention of alcohol and [redacted because spoilers]

“And that was how my sister made me unable to sit for a week.”

Adventurer hums in response, stirring his gin martini in fixation. “Sounds like you got it rough with Alchemist, buddy.”

“Tell me about it. She needs to take a nap or something.” Vampire slumps forward against the bar counter with his face down. Peeking one eye out at Adventurer, he asks him, “What about you? Running from Blackberry again?”

Adventurer, chuckling nervously, fiddles with the brim of his hat. “No… I mean, I just got back from exploring the temple and fighting off poisonous rats and snakes in the jungle and…” He trails off when he sees the knowing look Vampire is giving him. Relenting, he slumps over as well and murmurs, “Please don’t tell her I’m here.”

“I wouldn’t betray you like that. Hey, Sparkling!” Vampire calls out for the bartender, who has his back facing the two as he dusts the shelves on the wall. “Can I have another grape juice?”

“One, get your faces off of my counter. I just wiped that,” Sparkling responds, continuing to dust without turning around. “Two, are you going to pay for it?”

“I’ll pay once I’m done with it.”

Sparkling glares over his shoulder, pointing his duster at the empty glasses discarded next to Vampire. “You said that _three drinks ago_. You’re racking up a tab.”

“Psh, you should just have a policy to give drinks for free to cookies who are having issues with their siblings,” Vampire mutters, burying his head further into the counter, actively disobeying Sparkling’s order.

“Or maids,” Adventurer adds.

“I’m sorry, but since when did my bar become a hideout for bums afraid of facing the consequences for their life choices?”

“Since you decided Chili Pepper, a known criminal, was a welcome regular here,” Adventurer deadpans, a little disgusted at the mere thought of the cookie who stole his discovery.

“Since you chose to let me binge drink my problems away without me having to pay each time,” Vampire offers at the exact same time, dropping all pretenses.

Sparkling twitches a little, and he swears he can hear his own veins popping. It takes all of his self-control to not use his feather duster as a wooden stake right then and there.

Adventurer must’ve gotten the idea, because he sits up, quickly digs around in his pocket, and fishes out a large bill. “Chill out, here’s the money. Let this cover for my martini and however many grape juices Vampire wants to have today.”

Finally satisfied, Sparkling takes the money with a triumphant smile. “One grape juice, coming right up.”

As he takes a break from dusting and sets to work on making the juice for Vampire, he hears Adventurer hiss at his friend, “If you order more than what I can cover for you, I’ll help him kill you.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”

Sparkling’s in the middle of pouring the finished drink into the glass when he hears the front door swing open. He looks up, fully prepared to acknowledge his new customer, when he recognizes who it is that has just entered. He breaks out into a wide grin at the sight of none other than Herb Cookie standing at the entrance, holding onto two miniature flower pots, one in each hand.

“Hey! I didn’t think you’d be back so soon,” the bartender greets as he puts down the pitcher.

“Who’s that?” Sparkling can hear Vampire ask Adventurer. “New guy?”

Herb smiles as he approaches the bar, setting both of his pots down on the counter. “I decided to come by while I was on break at work, so I wouldn’t have to barge in during closing time again.”

“That’s good. I really didn’t mind, but this is definitely more convenient for both of us,” Sparkling laughs a little as he turns his attention to Herb’s pots. “What are these?”

“Flowers! I planted pink carnation seeds in this one,” Herb explains, beaming and motioning towards one of the pots, “and yellow rose seeds in this one.” He gestures toward the other pot. “I figured you could put them around the bar somewhere? You’ll have to take care of them for them to grow, of course. I hope that’s not too much.”

Sparkling blinks multiple times, taking a few seconds to really put things together. “Oh, wait… These are for me?” he asks dumbly, picking up one of the pots to inspect the soil inside.

Herb falters a little and rubs his arm a little nervously. “Yeah… Is that weird? If you don’t want them, I can take them back to the flower shop—”

“What? No, no.” Sparkling rapidly shakes his head, smiling reassuringly at the florist. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. This is so thoughtful, thank you.”

It’s Herb’s turn to be caught off guard, but once he regains himself, his face breaks out into a huge grin. “I’m really happy you like them! I planted them especially for you!”

Sparkling feels his face heat up slightly from hearing that, but he quickly brushes the reason off as just the way Herb proclaims that so earnestly and innocently. Still, not wishing for the latter to see his blushing, he quickly turns away with both pots in hand. As he tries to find a suitable space to place them, his peripheral vision catches both Adventurer and Vampire staring agog at him and Herb.

Shoot, he’s forgotten about them. Whatever they want to say to him afterward, he’s already dreading it. He attempts to regain his composure as quickly as he can; he’s embarrassed enough that his friends have just caught him so undignified.

Once he finds a temporary place to put the pots, he turns back to Herb, hoping his face isn’t as red as he has a feeling it is. “D-do you want to order anything?” He curses himself for stuttering. What’s wrong with him?

“Oh, yeah! Could I have another lemonade?” If Herb notices anything off about Sparkling, he does a good job of hiding it. “I really liked it last time!”

_He wants a lemonade. Get it together, Sparkling, it’s time to do your job._ Sparkling clears his throat and stands up straight, donning his signature dazzling smile. “Glad to hear that. I’ll have that coming up for you soon!”

“Hey, what about my grape juice?” Vampire, upper half still sprawled out on the counter, calls out indignantly from the barstool on the other end.

Rolling his eyes, Sparkling walks over with Vampire’s glass and sets it down in front of him with a loud thud. “Order up, sir,” he simply says, his “dazzling smile” now much more artificial. “And seriously, stop acting like a starfish and sit up.”

Vampire rolls his eyes back, but nevertheless, he complies. “Whatever, man.”

Sparkling goes to make Herb his lemonade in silence, while Herb looks around the bar as if it were his first time really taking in the surroundings. He gazes at the shelves lined with bottles, the stools coated with velvet lining, the fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling—it’s almost like he’s doing his utter best to avoid eye contact with the bartender. He eventually seems to settle on looking at his own reflection in the counter, almost like he’s impressed with how much effort Sparkling put in to keep it shiny and clean. Worryingly, Sparkling wonders if Herb is uncomfortable being here. In his mind, he has no reason to be; he was so open during their first meeting… Is he potentially regretting spilling so many personal details then?

Sparkling opens his mouth to break the silence, but not before Herb’s own voice cuts through the air, “Pink carnations symbolize gratitude. Yellow roses symbolize friendship.”

“Huh?” Sparkling asks, a little confused before he realizes. “Oh! Is that so?” He turns his head towards where he put Herb’s gifts. “I’m assuming the meanings have to do why you chose those two kinds in particular?”

Herb nods, a soft, shy smile gracing his features. For some reason, Sparkling’s heart beats just a little faster at the sight. “The carnations are to thank you for everything the other night. And the roses… Well, I wanted them to represent the beginning of our friendship?” He winces as if he’s already regretting the way he worded it. “I-I mean, maybe we’re not friends, this is only my second time here, and it’s not like we’re obligated to be friends anyway—”

Sparkling wonders if he’s coming down with something, because he seems to be especially poor at keeping on his feet. It takes him a few moments to find his voice and blurt out, “I consider all of my customers my friends!”

_Smooth, Sparkling._ Why is he suddenly unable to function? This is embarrassing. Even though he isn’t facing them, he can hear Adventurer and Vampire whispering to each other in the least subtle way possible.

Sparkling takes a deep breath, resuming his process of making lemonade, then explains to a taken-aback Herb, “It’s true. I like to think of everyone who comes in as my friend, no matter how much I know them. It’s a personal policy I have so I feel like I’m on even ground with everyone. Besides, even if we’re not close, I find that I do like all of the cookies that come into my bar.” Glaring at Adventurer and Vampire, he adds, “Some more than others, but my point still stands.”

Herb stays frozen for a second, but exhales in relief once he sees there’s nothing to be worried about. “That’s good. I got a little scared there for a minute.”

Sparkling waves his hand. “Nothing to be scared of here. I try to keep my bar open to new friends as much as I can.” He hands Herb the finished lemonade, the latter nodding his thanks. “Here you go. So did you talk to your boyfriend?”

Herb’s eyes light up at the mention. “Yeah! He took it surprisingly well, actually. Don’t get me wrong, we still have our other issues to work out, but he didn’t dump me over it like I was afraid he would.” He rubs the back of his head a little sheepishly, as if he were embarrassed to have even considered that in the first place.

“I’m glad that’s the case,” Sparkling smiles, happy for Herb. “Does that mean you want advice on actually running a tea shop then? I did promise you that I’d give you some once you sorted things out with him.”

To his surprise, Herb shakes his head no. “I think I’m good for now. The only thing I was stressed about was how to deal with so many cookies,” he says after taking a long sip of his lemonade. “‘Think of everyone who comes in as my friend,’ huh… I’ve never thought of that before…”

* * *

 

“Who was that?”

“Who?” Sparkling absentmindedly calls back as he wipes down the area Herb was just sitting at.

“You know who.”

Sparkling turns in Adventurer and Vampire’s direction and immediately regrets doing so. Those giant smirks and narrowed eyes… His grip on his rag tightens. This isn’t going to lead to anywhere good.

Pointing accusingly at the two patrons, he commands, “Whatever you’re thinking, stop it.”

“Hey, it’s a simple question,” Adventurer says innocently with that infuriating, definitely not-so-innocent expression. “It’s not every day we don’t recognize someone who comes into your bar.”

Sparkling sighs, and, against his better instincts, he explains, “He’s Herb Cookie from the flower shop down the street. He came in for the first time a few nights ago.”

“So that just now was only the second time, huh?” Vampire uses his straw to poke the ice in his now empty glass. “Funny, I would have guessed otherwise. You were hitting it off so well.”

Shrugging and going back to cleaning, Sparkling casually remarks, “What can I say? He’s a really nice guy from what I’ve seen. He overthinks things sometimes, but it’s not like I don’t want to help him. Besides, he’s thoughtful, too. You saw him give me those plants.”

“Yeah, and also how you started acting like Pink Choco hit you with her Love Beam right afterward.”

Sparkling starts choking on air. “I-I was just caught off guard! I’m not used to receiving gifts from my customers. I’m used to giving. And giving and giving and giving. Without anything in return.” To emphasize his point, he gives Vampire and his pile of empty glasses an eyeful.

“It’s not just then, though,” Adventurer points out. “You had this stupid look on your face the entire time he was here. Me and Vampire don’t get that whenever we come in.”

“I wonder why,” is the deadpan reply. “He’s in a relationship, you know.”

“But I heard him tell you that they’re dealing with problems.”

“That doesn’t give me any more right to intervene and snatch him up like he’s a prize I’m competing for.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Vampire interjects. “Let me get this straight. What you’re saying is that the only thing stopping you is the relationship? Like if he _weren’t_ dating someone, you’d make a move?”

Silence permeates the bar for a few seconds.

“Sir, you have had enough to drink,” Sparkling stiffly says. “I’m calling your sister.”

“What? No!”

Adventurer snickers.

“As for you,” Sparkling whirls on him, “I’m calling your maid.”

“ _What? No!_ ”

Five minutes later, when Alchemist and Blackberry simultaneously burst into the bar to drag their respective buffoons back home, Sparkling makes sure to cheerfully waggle his fingers goodbye in response to Adventurer’s obscenities and Vampire’s bawling.

Idiots, the both of them.

* * *

 

That night, as Sparkling closes down the bar, his eyes trail back to the two flower pots on his shelf. Just the ghost of a smile shows on his lips as he envisions what they’ll look like once they bloom. He wonders how long it will take till then? Maybe he should look that up once he gets home.

He can’t wait. He can only imagine that they’ll be a nice additional touch to the bar’s flair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> headcanon that adventurer and vampire are actually like super close with sparkling which is why they're so comfortable talking smack to each other and why sparkling doesn't bother putting on the 'charming bartender' front when he's around them


	3. say you won't let go.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, the most unromantic situation is what gives way to the sparks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll refrain from spoilers, but this chapter features drinking and throwing up, so if you have any phobias/triggers pertaining to those two subjects, then this is your warning. However, it doesn't last for too long and I don't go into extreme detail, so I expect things should be fine for everyone.
> 
> But other than that, please enjoy!

Throughout the next few weeks, Herb doesn’t come by Sparkling’s bar, but the bartender still catches him on most days passing by outside. It’s usually in the morning, when he’s preparing to open up, that Herb passes by on his way to the flower shop; more often than not, he has another cookie by his side, presumably his boyfriend. The florist catches Sparkling’s eye often during those brief moments, making sure to smile and wave enthusiastically. His eagerness is so contagious, Sparkling can’t help but wave back with similar zeal.

It doesn’t take long for him to start actively looking forward to their little greetings. As fleeting as they are, there’s just something about them that starts his day off right.

The seeds Herb gave him have been starting to germinate, too. The sprouts have become visible in the soil, and Sparkling’s sheer excitement at this makes him feel like a child again. He’ll have to show them to Herb the next time he comes in, to show him that he really is taking care of his plants.

One particular night, just as he’s gazing at them as if that’s going to help them grow more quickly, he hears the door swing open. It’s probably because he was just thinking about him, but Sparkling turns with the expectation that it’s Herb, and deflates once he sees it’s just Adventurer.

“Oh. It’s you.”

“Yeah. It’s me.” Adventurer plops down on his usual barstool, looking quite unimpressed. “The cookie who can’t even come here most days anymore after his maid discovered this is where he hides out.”

“Really? How’d that happen?” Sparkling asks, clearly knowing the answer to that.

Still, Adventurer gawks at him incredulously and sputters, “Y-you called her on me! I haven’t even been back until right now! I could’ve been giving you all my money this past couple of weeks if you hadn’t ruined it for one of your regulars! Aren’t you at least a little bit sorry you did that?!”

Sparkling pretends to think, tapping his chin and looking up at the ceiling with a mock thoughtful expression. “Hm… No, not really. I’d say that was one of the proudest moments of my career, actually.”

Adventurer groans in resignation. “I hate you.”

“Good to hear. The feeling’s mutual.” Sparkling takes one clean glass from his rack and spins it effortlessly in his hand. “So? You want the usual?”

Adventurer hums a yes in response. “Make sure it’s extra strong this time. I’m too tired to take anything watered down.”

“I got you.” Sparkling proceeds to make Adventurer his gin martini. “And? How did you manage to make it here tonight in particular?”

Adventurer grimaces. “You’ll just laugh if I tell you.”

“What? I won’t.”

“You say that because you don’t know.”

“Ever since I opened up this bar, I’ve heard the most ridiculous things from all sorts of cookies. Try me.”

Adventurer hesitates. “...Promise you won’t laugh,” he murmurs so lowly Sparkling almost doesn’t hear him.

Sparkling nods as he stirs his patron’s drink. “Sure, sure.”

“I asked for permission.”

Sparkling freezes mid-stir and gapes at Adventurer. “...Permission?”

“Yup.”

“ _How?_ Did you just ask her or did you have to like…”

“I kind of had to beg,” Adventurer says in a monotone. “I told her I’d be back by 11.”

“ _...You have a curfew now?_ ”

Adventurer only grunts.

Sparkling can no longer hold back the long snort he’s been stifling. The image of his friend having to kowtow to his own maid just to be able to go out is too hilarious.

Adventurer glares at him angrily. “You promised you wouldn’t laugh!”

“Sorry, sorry.” Sparkling does his best to retain his composure and continue making the martini. “It’s just… God, I can’t decide if you guys are more like a mother and child or an old married couple.”

“I don’t know about me, but I can tell you what she is: crazy,” Adventurer mutters under his breath.

Just as Sparkling finishes garnishing the martini and sets it down in front of Adventurer, the door swings open once more. Expecting it to be Vampire or some other regular, Sparkling turns around to see who it is, and his eyes light up once he sees it’s actually the very cookie he was hoping would come by.

“Hey! I was just wondering where you’ve been.”

He’s taken aback when he doesn’t even get a hello in return. Instead, Herb silently walks over, flops into the stool next to Adventurer, and sprawls out over the counter with his arms wide open. The explorer, not expecting the sudden intrusion into his personal space, quickly picks up his martini before it can be knocked over.

“Uh… I thought you didn’t like it when cookies did that?” he asks Sparkling, all the while gaping at the newcomer.

Sparkling, just as dumbfounded, struggles to find the words, “Herb, can you… sit up, please? I can see you’ve had a long day, but…”

“Tequila.”

Sparkling blinks. “What?”

Herb doesn’t sit up, but he does peer out from underneath his bangs at Sparkling. “I want tequila.”

“I thought you didn’t drink—”

“I do tonight.”

“O-okay…” For some reason, Sparkling gets the sense that Herb’s not really in the mood for any other suggestions. “Do you just want plain tequila or—”

“Just give me the bottle.”

_Oh, dear._ Wordlessly, Sparkling grabs a brand new bottle of tequila and uncorks it, setting it down on the counter along with a shot glass. Herb wastes no time in pouring himself and downing three shots, a feat that prompts even Adventurer to stare.

“So, um…” Sparkling coughs awkwardly, incredibly unsure of what to make of Herb’s change in demeanor. “Anything happen to you lately?”

Adventurer shoots him a withering glare, as if to tell him he can do better than that. In return, Sparkling throws his hands up defensively. _It’s not like you really know how to react to this scenario, either._

“I dun wanna talk about ih,” Herb slurs, already feeling the effects of the alcohol. He takes another shot.

Sparkling’s already regretting giving Herb the tequila in the first place. “Are you seriously here to drown yourself in alcohol all night then? Come on, Herb, let’s not get silly.”

Herb just ignores him; as a matter of fact, he throws the shot glass to the side as if it were garbage and attempts to drink directly from the bottle.

“Hey—!”

“Alright, I can’t watch this anymore,” Adventurer finally speaks up, snatching the bottle away from Herb before it can reach the latter’s lips. “You’re going to kill yourself at this rate.”

“Gih thah back!” Herb lunges for his precious tequila, but Adventurer keeps him at arm’s length as he holds the bottle away in the opposite direction. Sparkling immediately grabs it from him and puts the cork back in, setting it up on the highest shelf in case Herb tries to climb over the bar counter to retrieve it.

“Thass not fair!” Herb whines, shooting both of them a look of complete and utter betrayal. There’s a certain glossiness in his eyes, a glossiness that Sparkling recognizes immediately. “Thah was mine!”

“No, it’s _mine_. You just pay me to drink it,” Sparkling corrects him patiently. “Now are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

“Does ih matter whass wrong?!” Herb suddenly explodes. Despite the anger on the surface, it’s clear he’s on the verge of tears. “Juss gih thah back!”

Sparkling takes a deep breath, and, with all the patience he’s acquired throughout his entire history as a bartender, he utters a very clear, “ _No._ Now, tell me what happened. Does it have to do with your boyfriend?”

Herb’s lip quivers, and the tears finally spill from his eyes. With Sparkling clearly having hit the mark, sobs begin to wrack through his entire body. Burying his face in his hands, he lets out what he’s obviously been holding in since he stepped into the bar this particular night. Sparkling quickly grabs the tissue box from his shelf and puts it in front of the bawling cookie; Adventurer, who’s much more unskilled than Sparkling at handling emotional customers, quickly looks away while awkwardly patting Herb on the back. Judging from the way he’s sipping his martini, he wants Sparkling to handle this.

Sparkling sighs, rubbing his own face wearily. “What happened? Bad fight?”

Herb’s cries increase in volume, and Sparkling decides he’s glad that his only other customer right now is Adventurer.

“Come on, blow your nose,” Sparkling urges, taking some tissues out of their box and holding them out for Herb to take. “It’ll be okay. I’m sure once both of you have calmed down, you can talk it out…”

Herb, having taken the tissues, rapidly shakes his head no. “No… He… He broke up with… me…” he manages out in between hiccups.

Sparkling’s shoulders sag. “Oh, no. I’m so sorry.”

“I dun… I dun know whah happened… I thought we were fine, and… and it fell like things were getting better… but tonighh, he… he juss broke it off and said thah he wasn’t righh for me… I toll him we should talk about it first, but he wouldn’t listen…” Herb manages to choke out before breaking down again.

Even though the combination of drinking and crying has made his speech almost incomprehensible, Sparkling somehow still puts it together. An ugly flame of irritation ignites in his gut while he listens to Herb explain the details, as he’s unable to resist thinking uncharacteristically contemptuous thoughts about this now ex-boyfriend. Choosing to break it off right when things are looking up, huh? There’s a level of jerkiness to that that Sparkling doesn’t want to think about right now.

Instead, he opts to comfort Herb, coming around from behind the bar to sit in the stool next to him, on the other side of Adventurer. He hesitates to do so, but ultimately, he puts one arm around the florist in a soothing side hug. “There, there, it’s okay. I know things seem bad right now in the moment, but you just kind of have to believe that everything happens for a reason. And you’re a good cookie, so I know you’ll find someone… better than the last one.”

_Someone who actually deserves you._

Herb doesn’t say anything, only his hiccups disturbing the stillness of his body.

“And…” Sparkling falters, but continues anyway, “And remember when I said I like to think of all of my customers as my friends? I think you’re my friend, Herb, and it’s not because you’re a customer. You’re my friend because you’re one of the kindest and most thoughtful cookies I’ve ever met. I’m always so happy to see you, whether if you actually come in and order something or if you just wave hi through the window. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself since we haven’t known each other for that long, but I mean all of that.”

Why is it suddenly so hot in his bar? Does he have to turn the AC up? How strange, it’s usually pretty cool in the nighttime…

“I may not know who your other friends are, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they all say the same thing. You’re the type who can brighten up anyone’s day, no matter how down they were feeling before. So it’s your boyfriend’s loss that he’s—”

“Sparkling.” Adventurer’s alarmed voice cuts through Sparkling’s own, stopping his train of thought.

“What?”

“He doesn’t look so good.”

Now realizing that he accidentally entered his own little world sometime during his whole spiel, Sparkling refocuses on Herb and quickly sees why Adventurer sounds so disconcerted. Herb is now even more hunched over than before, with one hand covering his entire mouth and another hand pressed up against his stomach. Although no longer hiccuping, he’s taking huge, heavy, deep, shuddery breaths, clearly trying to keep something down.

Sparkling immediately springs into action, jumping up and pulling Herb off the stool by his arm. “Adventurer, watch the bar for me!” he calls out over his shoulder as he rushes the florist to the corner of the bar. He doesn’t bother watching or hearing for a response when he pushes the restroom door open and gets Herb into a toilet stall.

Just in time, too. At the exact moment Sparkling gets Herb’s head above the toilet, it all comes out. His vomiting is violent and forceful, consisting of everything he’s eaten in the past several hours, and the bartender has to grab ahold of his hair and pull it back to prevent anything from getting stuck in there. He winces with every single retching sound coming from Herb, looking away from the whole mess. He just silently waits until Herb’s gagging eventually dies down to the point where he seems like he has no more in his system.

Rubbing circles in his back, Sparkling asks, “Are you done?”

“Oh my god,” Herb manages to spit out in between heaving. “Oh my god.”

“Look,” Sparkling sighs, “I really think you should go home and rest. You’re in no shape to stay here—”

“I canh go home,” Herb murmurs, the effects of fatigue quickly overcoming him. “He’s there…”

Sparkling hesitates, taking in this new information. His ex-boyfriend is at home, huh… Herb understandably wouldn’t want to deal with him in this state. Where can he take him, then? There’s the option to take him back to _his_ place… He quickly shoves that possibility out of his head. That’s something he should save as the very last resort. He should at least _try_ to get him back to his own home, the presence of an ex be damned.

He shakes his head at Herb. “You have to. You can’t stay at the bar, and I don’t have any room for a second cookie where I live. I know this isn’t easy, but it’s best if you sleep it off in your own bed. If I see him, I’ll talk to him and ask him to at least take care of you while you’re like this.”

_And if he isn’t even decent enough to not kick him while he’s down, then I’ll figure something else out._

Herb only nods in acquiescence, too exhausted to actually voice anything. Once the toilet is flushed, he lets Sparkling guide him out of the stall and back out into the open bar.

“Hey, Adventurer,” Sparkling addresses his friend still sitting on his stool, “sorry about this, but can you watch the bar a bit more? I have to take him home.”

“But—”

“I’ll let Blackberry know you’re covering for me,” Sparkling assures him. “If anyone else comes in while I’m gone, just tell them that I’m off running errands. I’ll try to be back as soon as I can.”

Adventurer nods when he sees that the cookie hanging off of his friend is clearly far from good shape. Sparkling, strongly sensing that Herb doesn’t have enough strength to be able to walk on his own, drapes his arm over his shoulder in an effort to support him. He escorts him toward the door, and, once he calls out a thanks to the cookie sitting at the bar, he exits with Herb out into the night.

The crisp, chilly air hits him immediately, a large contrast to the snug, warm bar he was just in a second ago. He glances at Herb, whose eyes are starting to droop closed with the desire to fall asleep right then and there.

“Herb… Where do you live?”

Herb makes a lame attempt to point in the right direction. “Down there… You turn at the diner… There are houses… One of them is mine…”

Not the most ideal directions he could’ve gotten, but it’s at least enough for Sparkling to work with. He thinks for a bit; assuming that he knows which diner Herb is referring to, then, fortunately, he doesn’t live too far away. Ah, but what if he’s wrong… He shakes his head to prevent himself from worrying too much. He can just ask Herb for more directions as they go along.

“Alright. Come on.”

He holds onto Herb as he begins to make the tedious trek back to the latter’s home. As they proceed down the sidewalk, his eyes trail upwards to the starry night sky. It’s a backdrop that, on any other night, he would appreciate as a nice touch to the peace and tranquility he usually feels at this hour, but tonight, he can’t help thinking it’s a total farce. He has an utterly heartbroken cookie wrapped around him, a cookie that’s had an incredibly rough night, to say the least, and Sparkling’s own heart aches for him. Who out there allowed this to happen to the very one who least deserved it? The more he tries to wrap his mind around any potential reasons for this, the more he begins to believe that there simply aren’t any.

“ _You just kind of have to believe that everything happens for a reason.”_

Was he lying when he said that? It seemed rational at the time, but now? He begins to doubt that’s really how the world works, because all this incident’s brought to Herb is despair and instability. Why would his boyfriend suddenly break it off just when things were finally beginning to look up?

His boyfriend. Without his knowing, Sparkling’s fingers clench just a little more tightly around Herb’s arm. There’s part of him that dreads having to see him, and another part of him that is absolutely dying to give him a piece of his mind. Boy, does he have some choice words for the guy… but no, he has to at least try to stay civil. It would only hurt Herb more if anything else went down tonight.

He comes back down to reality when Herb suddenly stumbles over his own feet, with only Sparkling to keep him from completely falling flat on his face.

“Hey, you alright?” Sparkling stops and asks him, concern in his voice.

Herb only mumbles incoherently.

A wave of panic washes over Sparkling, and he pulls Herb away from him to check his entire being. His face is pale from vomiting and he’s obviously lost his sense of balance, but his body is still warm and his breathing is regular, if not anything else… Sparkling slaps his cheek lightly.

“Herb, are you still with me?”

Herb’s head moves up and down in a nod, and Sparkling allows himself to breathe a little. Just from this brief assessment, his bartender’s intuition is telling him he’s just heavily intoxicated and should be fine by the morning. Still, given that he’s barely able to stand on his own two feet…

Sparkling sighs and turns so his back is facing Herb, though he keeps his grip on Herb’s arm. He crouches a little and gently pulls Herb towards him, motioning for him to get on his back. Herb, at the very least still attentive enough to catch on, climbs onto the other cookie without any protest. Standing up straight and lending his arms as support for Herb’s legs, Sparkling continues to hike down the sidewalk.

No more than a few steps in, he hears Herb murmur in an unexpected moment of lucidity, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I did,” Herb insists quietly, his voice muffled against Sparkling’s shoulder. “I took your tequila and broke down and threw up. And now you have to carry me home. You probably hate me.”

A lump forms in Sparkling’s throat when he hears that last part. “I don’t hate you. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t want to.”

“Still…”

A certain wetness begins to seep through the shoulder of Sparkling’s shirt, and he almost wants to cry himself. Nevertheless, he takes a deep breath, determined to stay composed.

“Listen to me, Herb. Have you already forgotten what I told you back there? You're my friend, and I care about you. You're allowed to cry your eyes out to me whenever you want, and I'll always be here for you to lean on. If you ever feel like the world’s stopped listening to you, just know that you'll have me, as your bartender and as your friend.”

He has so much more to say, but he stops himself when he hears his own voice starting to break. He's pathetic, he decides. He's not the one this is about, and yet, he can't even properly utter words of comfort to this one cookie when he needs them the most. What exactly happened? Why is he suddenly so unable to hold himself together? Isn't he supposed to be good at keeping his cool for anyone who comes to his bar to drown their sorrows?

But despite all of these thoughts invading his head, despite being so far beyond his own limit, Herb still buries his head into the crook of his neck. “There’s something abouw you, you know,” he mutters, his breath warm on Sparkling’s skin. “You juss make me feel better with everything you say… I feel so safe when I’m with you…”

Sparkling suddenly becomes very aware of his own thumping heartbeat, the tangled knots in his stomach, and the overwhelming warmth taking over the entirety of his body. He can no longer look at anything other than his treading feet, overly conscious of Herb’s steady breathing and how snugly he’s settled on his back.

Sparkling realizes right then and there, at that exact moment, just how afraid he is.

* * *

 

It feels like an eternity has passed by the time Sparkling actually reaches Herb’s doorstep, both physically and mentally. His knees are weak, his back will surely ache in the morning, and his emotions are at such a tumultuous level that he considers just closing the bar early once he gets back. But that’s a decision he can take his time to contemplate when he returns, because for now, he has to deal with the last cookie he desires to see.

Sparkling somehow manages to ring the doorbell while still balancing a now sleeping Herb, and the door opens no more than two seconds later.

“ _Where have you_ —ah.”

Sparkling’s entire figure tenses when he lays his eyes on the very individual that indirectly caused everything that happened tonight, fully assessing his appearance for the first time. He’s green all over, with a scarf that covers the bottom half of his face and no shoes on his feet. He gapes at Herb draped over Sparkling’s shoulders, clearly having expected only one of them to show up at the door at this very moment.

“Mm…” Herb stirs, having woken up from hearing his ex’s voice.

“...What—”

“He came into my bar and got drunk,” Sparkling explains flatly, too exhausted to even bother putting on his usual charm. He helps Herb down and gently pushes him over to the other cookie, who holds his own arms out for support. “Luckily, he doesn’t have alcohol poisoning, but he’s really out of it. When he wakes up, give him water, because he’s going to be really dehydrated. Probably hungover, too. I don’t know what your deal is with him, but for both of our sakes, just take care of him until he gets better.”

Without even waiting for the other cookie to respond, he turns on his heel and leaves, never looking back as he trudges ahead. It’s only when he’s far, far away, far enough where he can no longer see the house, that he allows himself to stop and breathe.

Is that cookie mature enough to temporarily set aside his relationship problems with Herb to take care of him? Sparkling desperately hopes he is. He has half a mind to just go and get his friend back given his lack of trust in his ex, an urge that he pushes down forcibly as he continues his way back to the bar. He’ll just have to see how Herb fares whenever he sees him next.

_Whenever he sees him next._ What’s going to happen then? Would they have to talk about what occurred tonight? Sparkling can’t help but feel a little nervous at the prospect; as much as he expects Herb to be embarrassed, he himself doesn’t want to think about tonight’s events. He doesn’t want to think about the sappy friendship speeches he gave him, he doesn’t want to think about how he held his hair back while he was throwing up, he doesn’t want to think about how he went to the trouble of carrying him home. He doesn’t want to think about any of that.

But most of all, he doesn’t want to think about what he felt then, when Herb was muttering drunkenly into his neck, when that raw fear emerged from the pit of his stomach to grab at his heart.

He doesn’t want to think about how he’s falling hard for a cookie that loves someone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh dear. it seems like my boy wind archer is coming across as a bit of poop scoop, at least to sparkling. but I wouldn't do my baby in like that, there's certainly more to it than meets the eye uwu
> 
> also can someone coach me on how to type drunk speech while still sounding comprehensible?? probably would've been easier for me if I just typed normally but it appears that I like to make my own life hell
> 
> last thing, before I forget: apparently it's been way too long since I uploaded on ao3 because I forgot to uphold my tradition to self-promote at the end of my chapters! if you guys have twitter/tumblr, then please follow me down at the links below! it's a little lonely in this fandom for me, I'd love to know people ;] (especially on twitter since I'm more active on there anyway)  
> twitter: [bobaaddiict](https://twitter.com/bobaaddiict)  
> tumblr: [bobaaddict](bobaaddict.tumblr.com)


	4. the buildup.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sparkling hates having mushy feelings.

An entire week elapses with no sign of Herb, and even though Sparkling would love to be unbothered by this fact, he finds himself more hurt than anything else. Even during those mornings when Herb waves hello have changed; Sparkling often sees him simply walking by without even a glance towards him, no matter how much the bartender tries to catch his attention. Is he really so affected by that night that he doesn’t want to visit him? Sure, Sparkling can understand if he’s embarrassed, but to the point of avoidance… The more days that pass, the more Sparkling considers just going over to the flower shop himself to see what’s up.

That’s ultimately what he decides to do on one particular day, because he now understands that he’d rather have Herb outright tell him he doesn’t want to see him than have their friendship just linger in this torturous limbo. Yeah, that’s what he’ll do. He’ll do it once his bar empties out. He’ll simply close up early and head on over there before Herb can retire himself.

Yeah.

That’s what he’ll do.

...Do what, exactly? What exactly is he going to do once he sees him? Bluntly ask him why he’s been avoiding him? No, that would probably just scare him off further… Pretend like he’s there to buy flowers before slowly inching toward the subject? No, Herb’s not stupid, he’d see Sparkling there and know what he’s really there for right away… There would need to be a middle ground between the two approaches then, obviously. Yeah, yeah, that’s it…

But what is he going to _say_? Keep it professional and ask him to come back to the bar sometime soon? No, Herb might think that they’re not friends beyond the bartender-patron relationship… Tell him it’s okay if he never comes anymore? No, that’s just straight up cutting ties… Ask him to come back to the bar with him and have drinks together? Well, that’s the most appealing option, but—

_Intimacy!_

Sparkling lets out a short but loud shriek once he realizes just how date-like that last scenario would be in reality, prompting raised eyebrows from multiple customers. He blinks as his mind exits his own imagination and settles back into reality, and he looks down at what’s in front of him. To both his dismay and shock, he has dumped an entire bottle of hot sauce all over Chili Pepper’s rum and coke… and her lower arm.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Chili Pepper—” Sparkling scrambles to get some paper towels from underneath the counter. _Why didn’t she say anything?!_

He doesn’t even have to ask before he gets his answer. “Ah, don’t mind it, Bubbles,” she waves off, using the nickname she has for him. “You know I love your hot sauce. Figured you were just giving me some extra for free this time.” She tops off her point by licking some of it directly off her arm.

Sitting in the adjacent stool, Fire Spirit watches disgustedly. “You’re freaking weird.”

“Look who’s talking, Fireball,” Chili Pepper retorts as she continues licking. “I’m not the one who’s actually made out of sweet potatoes.”

Fire Spirit raises his staff, and she raises her knife with her clean hand in response.

“If you’re going to fight, fight outside,” Sparkling sighs wearily as he wipes away all of the hot sauce spilled on the counter. Is he really so out of it that he didn’t see the red flags in seating two hotheads next to each other?

He’s actually a little surprised when they both comply, albeit reluctantly. They probably just don’t want to be kicked out of the one place they’re unconditionally welcome at, he decides.

“Whatever,” Fire Spirit grumbles. “Where’s my drink?”

“It’s here.” Sparkling grabs the jalapeño margarita and clunks it down in front of Fire Spirit. “Enjoy, sir.”

Geez, he really needs to step it up before he ends up doing more than dumping hot sauce all over another cookie. Now’s not the time to think about Herb and the unwanted feelings he has for him, not when he’s trying to do his job. He’s scrubbing furiously at the hot sauce on the counter, trying his best to ignore how it burns his eyes, when the door opens.

He turns to see who it is, and his heart almost stops.

Herb.

No. No, no, no, no. Why is he here?! Sparkling’s supposed to be the one who should go over to him, not the other way around! Is this some sort of practical joke?! Herb’s finally visiting right when he stops expecting him to?! Why is the universe playing with him like this?! Can’t he have one ounce of control over his own life for once?! He’s not mentally prepared at all!

No.

No. No. No.

“Do you _mind_?” Chili Pepper impatiently sneers, not at all happy that Sparkling’s arm has stopped mid-scrub all up in her personal space.

“Ah, sorry…”

For a split second, Sparkling actually considers if being on the receiving end of her wrath is better than having to face Herb unprepared. Not that he has a choice, regardless; Herb’s already making his way over like the grim reaper coming to take Sparkling to the afterlife.

Ha. If only the grim reaper were half as cute.

Sparkling frantically shoos that stupid thought out of his head as Herb seats himself in the end barstool. Quickly fixing his hair and bow tie, he walks over, hoping against hope that his face doesn’t betray just how nervous he is.

“Hey.”

Herb gives a tentative, awkward smile back. “Hey.”

Neither of them says anything. This is already going just as badly as Sparkling was afraid it would.

“Well,” he coughs, “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Y-yeah…”

This is swiftly shaping up to be absolutely hopeless. What is Herb even doing here? He doesn’t seem very eager to see Sparkling, so why did he come? He’s been avoiding him for so long, so why not keep it up?

After what feels like an eternity, even though it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, Herb gives in and thrusts the pot he’s holding forward. Bowing his head so low to the point his forehead is almost touching the counter, he squeaks, “Please take this!”

Sparkling stumbles back a little, having been caught completely off guard. “W-what?”

“I’m so sorry!” Herb starts going off, though he still refuses to look up at the bartender. “I-I didn’t mean to take your alcohol or make you carry me home! I didn’t think it’d go that far! I just needed to get my mind off of things, but I just… I just… Please forgive me!”

Wait… _what_? Sparkling rubs his temples, trying to make sense of Herb’s babbling. “Herb, stop for a minute, I don’t understand… I’m not mad about what happened.”

Herb shoots up in surprise, finally daring to connect eyes with Sparkling. “Y-you’re not?” The sheer relief written all over his face is a sight to behold.

Sparkling shook his head. “I told you I wasn’t. Don’t you remember?”

“Do I…” Herb falters, then, very quietly and sheepishly, admits, “No… I don’t remember anything that happened.”

_Oh_. Sparkling can’t tell if he’s more relieved or disappointed by this.

“All I remember is coming in and drinking,” Herb continues on. “And my… my ex told me in the morning that you helped me home. But I was afraid you were mad, so…” He bites his lip. “I figured you didn’t want to see me—”

“No!” Sparkling cuts in, almost horrified that Herb would ever suggest such a thing. “I thought _you_ didn’t want to see _me_ after what happened.”

“What?” Herb gasps. “No way! I was just thinking of how I could make it up to you, so I…” He looks down at the pot in his grasp. “I brought over some more flowers for you to grow. They’re purple hyacinths, and they’re meant to symbolize apology…”

“I’ll take them!” a flustered Sparkling blurts out, taking the pot into his own hands. “N-not that there’s anything to apologize for to begin with, but… thank you!” When he turns around to put it next to the other plants, he catches Chili Pepper and Fire Spirit in the corner of his eye giving him funny looks. A dreadful sort of deja vu feeling washes over him.

When he turns to face Herb once more, he notices the latter’s attention is focused on the two other flowers he previously gifted him. There’s a certain twinkle in his eye when he sees that they’ve sprouted, as if he’s proud that Sparkling has put in so much effort to care for them so well.

For some odd reason, Sparkling can’t help but fidget with his fingers, now his turn to fail at maintaining eye contact. “So, are you okay?” he asks, desperate to shift the mood of the conversation to something more comfortable. “What happened between you and… him?”

“Ah…” Herb deflates a little. “We’re… okay, I guess. We did talk it out, and we’re going to try to stay friends, especially since he works with me at the flower shop. I’ve been helping him find a new place to move out to, which is another reason why I’ve been gone lately…”

Sparkling nods, smiling slightly at the news. “I’m glad you’re moving past everything now. I was really worried about you last time.”

Herb laughs, apologetic. “It was just the initial shock, you know? It’s not like I never imagined it would happen, since I had come to you about it before.”

Something’s wrong. As much as Herb’s trying to brush it off, Sparkling’s served too many cookies carrying emotional baggage to be fooled so easily. There’s something he’s not telling him, something that he doesn’t want him to know. Sparkling’s eyes narrow slightly as he ponders what it may be, but there are just too many possible scenarios for him to truly figure it out, and he doesn’t get the sense that Herb’s going to tell him if he asks.

As curious as he is to know, he knows better than to push, so he simply asks, “Do you want a drink?” After a tiny bit of hesitation, he can’t resist adding jokingly, “Preferably something nonalcoholic?”

Herb shakes his head no. “My break’s almost over, so I can’t stay for much longer. I only came by because I wanted to apologize.” He stands up from his stool and smooths out his apron. “Actually, I may as well just head back now. My ex isn’t good with customers, so I don’t want to leave him alone for too long.”

Sparkling’s entire stomach erupts into a fiery pit of jealousy when Herb mentions going back to that cookie. What is that supposed to _mean_? He did say that they’re still friends, but he… would rather go back to him than stay here? Aren’t they broken up? Is Herb still not over him? Is that why he seems so off when asked about the end of their relationship?

But even so, he bites the bullet and hopes he doesn’t come across as too possessive when he waves goodbye and wishes Herb well. It’s only after he’s out the door and completely out of sight that he sinks to a squat on the bar floor with his head in his hands and lets loose a loud, frustrated, resentful moan.

“Bubbles?” he hears Chili Pepper’s voice call out. “I want more hot sauce.”

“We’re all out,” he grumbles back without moving from his position. “Also, I have a name.”

“Who was that?” Fire Spirit asks.

“Herb Cookie.”

“Is he—”

“No, we’re not together.”

“Then do—”

“Yes, I like him.”

“Then why—”

“Just got dumped.”

“...Why is that—”

“Because I’m not a scumbag who snatches cookies up like trophies.” Sparkling finally stands and gives the astonished Fire Spirit an intense, dead-eyed stare. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Fire Spirit retorts. “You’re dancing around this whole thing like a preteen girl in love. I don’t know about this one…” He gestures towards Chili Pepper, who’s still drinking her rum and coke and completely ignoring them. “But I don’t want whoever this is right now in charge of my spicy liquor.”

“I feel like I’d take offense to that, if I knew what that meant,” Sparkling deadpans. “How can I make a move when I’ve only seen him four times in total _and_ he’s just broken it off with his long-term boyfriend? That’s… slimy.”

Fire Spirit only guffaws. “God, for a guy who’s usually so good with people, you really do think a lot. Is that it?”

Sparkling rubs his arm, unsure if he should really spill everything. “Well… There’s no way he’d like me,” he begins tentatively. “He was so bummed when they broke up, and you saw how he was just now. He wanted to get back to him as quickly as he could. He likes him, not me.”

Fire Spirit waves his staff. “Should I go eliminate the competition?” he asks, completely serious.

“No!” Sparkling yells.

“This is so stupid,” Chili Pepper finally breaks her silence. “Hey, Bubbles, you know what my life rule is?”

“What?”

“Just take everything for yourself. Who cares about other cookies?” Why does she look so unashamedly pleased with herself?

“Thanks?” Sparkling says confusedly.

Chili Pepper rolls her eyes as if she has to explain what water is to him. “I _mean_ that you should stop thinking about this ex-boyfriend of his, because in your world, he doesn’t exist. It’s just you and the guy with leaves for hair. And if you want him so much, then at least try to get him to want you back. Okay?”

_Huh?_ Aside from her overly condescending tone, Sparkling is surprised to see that she’s actually trying to give him some advice… advice that actually sounds pretty solid, too, even if he doesn’t necessarily agree with the mindset it stems from. He wonders if she and Fire Spirit have a point when they say he’s thinking too much, or that he should at least try hard with Herb. Still, the unsure part of him can’t help but wonder…

“And exactly how do I do that?” he asks Chili Pepper.

Chili Pepper waves one of her knives. “Eliminate the competition.”

Sparkling shouldn’t have asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have you guys unlocked sparkling in chili pepper's relationship chart yet? that thing with the hot sauce baffles me but hey I'm having a blast with that info
> 
> follow me at my accounts for little updates on my writing!!  
> tumblr: [bobaaddict](http://bobaaddict.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [bobaaddiict](https://twitter.com/bobaaddiict)


	5. no.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How could sparkling champagne and herbal tea ever mix together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me at my social media!  
> twitter: [bobaaddiict](twitter.com/bobaaddiict)  
> tumblr: [bobaaddict](bobaaddict.tumblr.com)

Sparkling can’t wait to go home and sleep off this entire day. Between Herb paying him an impromptu visit and Chili Pepper and Fire Spirit giving him horribly misguided love advice, he just wants to forget about all of it and pretend it never happened. Pretend that he doesn’t eventually have to confront his own feelings.

Pretend that he can go back to being Sparkling, the bartender who likes everyone, and not Sparkling, the bartender who likes everyone but just happens to like Herb a lot more.

He’s closing up now, wiping down all of his glasses and double checking that everything is in tip-top shape. Under any other circumstance, he would take this time to appreciate the solitude and reflect on the day’s events, but tonight… his mind is just racing with thoughts. At least when he was serving customers earlier, they would somewhat serve as a distraction from himself and his stupid troubles with Herb.

Well, the customers other than Chili Pepper or Fire Spirit, who kept nagging him about the last thing he needs cookies nagging him for.

Maybe it’s just because of the fact that Herb’s on his mind already, but Sparkling can’t help but think about how this current setting—wiping glasses after closing time—is the exact same one as the night he first met the florist. Minus the rain. And Herb himself, of course. Which is a little dumb, given how this is what he does every single night around this time, but… he just has an eerie feeling about this one. It’s almost as if Herb is actually here, like he can just turn around and—

“Sparkling?”

...Of course. God, the universe hates him.

Sparkling glances over his shoulder, and, sure enough, Herb’s standing near the entrance. Just the two of them. In the dim light of the bar. For a brief second, he wonders if all of this is just some elaborate, contrived prank everyone else is in on, and they’re all going to jump out from their hiding places to laugh at him for being such a lovestruck fool.

“Did I forget to lock the door again?” he simply asks Herb, without even a remote hint of humor in his eyes. He’s too worn out to entertain any sort of practical joke from anyone, no matter who they are.

Herb pauses for a bit, then nods. “Sorry, I… I know it’s closing time. But I wanted to talk.”

“Why?”

Reflexively, Herb steps back a little when he hears the uncharacteristically blunt, no-nonsense tone coming from the bartender. Sparkling feels a harsh clenching in his heart when he notices this, and he shakes his head. What’s wrong with him?

“I’m sorry. It’s just… Long day,” he sighs, motioning for Herb to come closer and sit. “Sure, we can talk.”

Herb tightens his grip on the pot in his arms as he complies, and it’s only then when Sparkling takes notice to the beautiful, flourishing, lavender flowers. Herb must’ve noticed him gazing at them like he’s trying to decipher them, because when he has himself seated, he explains, “These are lilacs from the shop. They take years to grow, and I wasn’t sure if you were willing to take care of them for that long, so I decided to bring some that have already bloomed.”

Sparkling discovers that the one thing that knocks him off his feet more than Herb giving him flowers is Herb giving him _blooming_ flowers. Donning a steely expression in order to conceal his daze, he manages out a thank you before taking the lilacs and placing them on the first empty shelf space he can find.

When he turns back to face Herb, he sees the latter staring down at his own fiddling fingers. _There it is again,_ Sparkling notices—that lingering notion that there’s something off, something that Herb has on his mind that he’s struggling to put into words. The feeling is so intense, it’s almost palpable, and Sparkling would give anything to be anywhere but here.

“C-can we talk? Like really talk?” Herb stammers out. “Y-you know, with both of us sitting down…”

_Oh, boy._ Dreading whatever it is that’s got Herb so worked up, Sparkling walks around the bar and plops into the stool next to him. “What is it? More advice on that future tea shop?” he attempts to ask, though he already knows that’s not it. But, man, does he wish it were.

“Huh?” Herb blinks. “No…”

Well, he tried. “Okay, so what is it?”

“I…” Herb can’t even look at him. Maybe it’s just the lighting of the bar, but, from what Sparkling can see, his face is tinged red. “Lately, I’ve… I’ve really— _you’ve_ really helped me a lot. With everything. Thank you.”

Sparkling slowly nods with his brows furrowed. There’s no way that Herb’s here just to thank him for the hundredth time. “Right…”

“A-and I know you already said it wasn’t a big deal, but I just keep thinking about how you did so much for me when I got drunk, even though you had every right to just kick me out…” Herb trails off, unable to continue on.

“Yeah…?” Sparkling prods, beginning to get a little worried. Where is Herb going with this?

Herb takes a few deep, shuddery breaths like he’s trying to keep himself from breaking down right then and there. Eventually, he blabbers out so quickly that Sparkling almost doesn’t understand him, “Th-that’s it! I j-just wanted to get that off my chest, thanks for listening, bye!”

He practically jumps out of his seat and tries to make a dash for the door, but Sparkling’s hand shoots out and grabs his wrist before he can run off.

“Herb, seriously.” Sparkling maintains his grip on Herb even when the latter tries to pull away. “What’s the matter? You can tell me.”

An excruciating long silence. Finally, Herb heaves a loud sigh, one that sounds completely and utterly defeated. He turns back around to face Sparkling, their eyes truly connecting for the first time since he came in, and, with his voice barely above a whisper, he admits:

“I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Time stops. The entire bar becomes deathly silent, and Sparkling himself feels like he’s been hit by a train. What? _What?_ Did Herb just… confess to him? He gapes at the other cookie, who looks like he wants to cry, take back his words, forget this entire thing so they can go back to what they once were. Screw romantic feelings, screw all of that. Just being friends was working out perfectly for them, so why stop that now?

Because…

_“You should stop thinking about this ex-boyfriend of his, because in your world, he doesn’t exist. It’s just you and the guy with leaves for hair.”_

Sparkling looks down at his hand, fingers still clasped around Herb’s wrist in a firm hold. Then, on sheer impulse, he pulls the florist towards him and closes the gap between them in a fervid kiss. Herb’s lips are even softer than he ever could dream, and he loves the way they fit against his own like two puzzle pieces finding each other to become whole. Herb himself reciprocates immediately, his fingers snaking up Sparkling’s torso and finding a home on his suspenders, tugging at them to pull him even closer. The kiss is less than perfect; it’s a bit of an awkward position, given that one is standing and the other is sitting, but it doesn’t matter. Sparkling decides that Herb’s ex-boyfriend must be crazy. The sensation is so great, so pleasurable—how could he ever break up with him when one mere kiss feels like _this_?

They broke up. _They broke up._ No. No, this isn’t right. None of this is right.

Coming back to his senses, Sparkling pushes Herb away a little more roughly than he intended, slightly out of breath and disheveled. One of his suspenders is practically falling off his shoulder, creases have formed in his shirt… in other words, he looks as messy as he feels.

“I’m sorry,” he finally breathes out. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

Herb, his hair mussed up and his face red, only manages to choke out a confused, “What?”

Sparkling just shakes his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. This isn’t right.”

“W-what do you mean—”

“I know things have been tough for you lately,” Sparkling begins before Herb can protest. “I know how badly your ex hurt you, and I don’t want to take advantage of that. We’ve only seen each other five times, and you say you love me right after you ended a long-term relationship? Come on, Herb. Things are moving way too quickly.”

Herb’s eyes widen as he realizes what Sparkling is insinuating. “A-are you saying you’re just a _rebound_? That’s not true, I—”

“Herb, please. I’ve seen this happen to too many cookies to not know better.” His heart hurts. It really, really hurts. All he wants to do is embrace and kiss Herb more, but he disguises his desire through cold words and a stoic expression. The way his next words are on the tip of his tongue already makes him want to curl up into a corner and cry, but he forces them out, “Maybe it’s better if you stop coming to the bar. It’ll give us both a chance to sort our feelings out.”

He feels sick. He’s such a fucking _asshole_.

The look on Herb’s face says it all. He’s clearly doing everything in his power to not burst into tears, his entire body trembling and his hands balled up into fists. And as much as Sparkling wants him to hit him and tell him how wrong he is, all he does is turn on his heel and leave the bar without a single word. Through the window, Sparkling watches him break out into a run and disappear off into the night, leaving him alone once more.

Sparkling chokes out a sob that he didn’t even realize he was holding back. He’s done the right thing. He _has_ to have done the right thing.

So why does it feel like he’s just made the biggest mistake of his life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry


	6. lavender.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilacs: first emotions of love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before I had even posted that last chapter, I just _knew_ that I was probably going to get more comments than usual due to the ending. and I was right, y'all didn't disappoint. 
> 
> in return, I present to you the final chapter of my beautiful lilac dream! it's officially the longest chapter (longer than that especially long chapter where herb got drunk off his ass), and so....... _so_ sugary sweet to the point of my own discomfort
> 
> and I did it all for you guys. ~~and maybe a bit for myself too but let's pretend this was a bigger sacrifice than it actually was~~

Two excruciatingly long days have passed since that night, and, as much as Sparkling believes in the policy of not letting his personal life interfere with his work ethic, he has to admit that the incident has left him more than a little shaken. Well, more shaken than he already was before. What was it that he told Herb again? That they should stop seeing each other so they could get themselves straight? Psh, so much good that’s doing. He doesn’t know how Herb is faring, but all it’s done is have the completely opposite effect on him.

He misses Herb. He misses him so, so much.

Every time he hears the front door swing open, he can’t help but expect it to be Herb. Every time someone leaves the bar, he’s reminded of the image of Herb running out, heartbroken. Every time he accidentally looks in the direction of the flower pots on his shelves, _especially those godforsaken lilacs_ , he thinks of how he won’t be getting any of those anymore. Even the four cookies sitting on the stools in front of him right now—these cookies as living beings—all they do is remind him of Herb.

Part of that is definitely because said four cookies are the ones who know about Herb in the first place.

“Ugh, rain,” Fire Spirit groans, seeing the raindrops beginning to fall outside. “Do you think that’s going to let up any time soon? I’m allergic.”

As much as Sparkling usually enjoys rainy weather, he can’t help but share the sentiment. All rain is doing for him now is giving him yet _another_ reason to mull over Herb, namely that fateful night they met.

“Really? I kind of like it,” Vampire responds, now on his seventh glass of grape juice.

“Of course _you_ like it,” Chili Pepper smirks. “It’s not like you can stand the sun for too long.”

“Hey, it’s a condition!” Vampire protests.

“Yeah, don’t make fun of him for something he can’t help!” Adventurer chimes in to defend his friend.

Chili Pepper rolls her eyes. “It was just a light tease, you babies. Hey, Bubbles, can I have some more hot sauce?” She turns to Sparkling, who’s leaning forward on the counter with his head in his hands, presumably to block them all out.

“I don’t have any,” Sparkling only replies flatly without budging. “Because you took it all two days ago.”

He also last saw Herb two days ago.

“What? You still haven’t restocked?” Chili Pepper scoffs. “Lame.”

“Oh, I’m sorry that your unhealthy obsession with my hot sauce isn’t my first priority in life,” Sparkling snaps testily, peeking one glaring eye out between his fingers at the thief. “It’s just one less thing for you to steal.”

He gets four pairs of blank stares back.

Sighing, he concedes, “I’m sorry. That was out of line. Things have just been tough lately.”

“Tough how? You get into a fight with the plant guy or something?” Fire Spirit asks casually, trying to relieve the glum atmosphere in the bar.

All Sparkling does is loudly groan and sink his face into his hands even further.

“...Wait, seriously?” Fire Spirit is dumbfounded.

“Good going, genius,” Adventurer growls, shooting Fire Spirit a dirty look. Turning back to Sparkling, he offers, “Hey, man, you can have a bit of my martini if you want. Just a…” He trails off when Sparkling grabs his glass and downs the entire remainder of the drink in one huge gulp. “Just a sip though…”

“I’ll make you a new one later,” Sparkling mutters.

“So what did you fight about?” Chili Pepper asks. “Did you make a move like me and Fireball told you to and he rejected you?”

“Wait, what?” Vampire gawks. “When was this? I thought you were in denial about liking Herb.”

“Since when was he in denial? That was the first thing he said about him.”

“No, he didn’t reject me,” Sparkling interrupts before anyone can get too sidetracked. “Quite the opposite, actually. And I didn’t make the first move, he did.” He opts not to tell them the part where he kissed Herb.

Four jaws drop.

“Then what’s the problem?” Fire Spirit manages to ask.

“I just…” Sparkling sighs. “I don’t know. I guess I just got the sense that he wasn’t completely over his ex. Like I was just there for him to project onto or something. So I told him not to come back until he sorts his own feelings out…”

An uncomfortable silence ensues, and Sparkling already regrets saying anything.

“You’re a total _moron_.” An utterly astonished Adventurer is the first to speak. “He throws himself at you and you _blacklist him from the bar_?”

“I didn’t blacklist—”

“No, you did,” Chili Pepper cuts in, actually sounding angry with Sparkling. “Didn’t I tell you to forget about the other guy? This is exactly why you should’ve listened.”

“How can I forget about him when Herb likes him?” Sparkling retorts back indignantly. “His feelings are important to me, too, you know!”

Chili Pepper looks like she’s at a loss for words for once.

Fire Spirit raises his trident. “Eliminate the competition?”

“That doesn’t fix the issue, no!” Sparkling wants to pull his own hair out. “Look, I don’t want to be someone’s rebound. It wouldn’t be good for either of us, which is why I did what I did. It was for his own good. Got it?”

“I don’t know, man,” Vampire mumbles, gazing at his grape juice. For once, he’s in no rush to consume it. “Do _you_ get it? Because you sound like you’re trying to convince yourself more than us.”

“I’ll say,” an unknown voice chimes in to agree. “You’re obviously quite hung up over it.”

 _Huh?_ Sparkling peers over at the barstool at the end and goes completely rigid once he sees who exactly it is sitting there. That distinctive, green scarf. Those sharp eyes boring into his own. He may have only seen this particular cookie once before, but there’s no forgetting that look.

Just when he thought things couldn’t get worse, too. What is he doing here? When did he even come in? How did no one notice?

“How long have you been here?” Sparkling questions the green cookie, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice as he warily eyes the sack of arrows on his back. No, he’s not scared. He’s not scared of some cookie he’s only seen once before.

“A while,” the other cookie replies calmly. “I didn’t want to interrupt the rather interesting discussion about my ex and me.”

Sparkling opens his mouth to speak, but before he can, Fire Spirit pipes up, “Wait… _You’re_ this ex we keep hearing about? You’re…” He looks the cookie up and down, scrutinizing everything he can see from his place on the barstool. “You’re really green.”

“And you and your friend here are really red,” the cookie states matter-of-factly, his expression unchanging.

“Yeah, he’s not really my friend,” Chili Pepper mutters under her breath.

If the cookie heard her, he makes no indication that he did. “Now, do you mind?” he continues, rising from his stool. “I’m not here for any of you, I’m here for the bartender.” He points one finger at Sparkling, prompting the latter to wonder if this is his last day on earth.

Adventurer stands up from his seat, his hand on the rope tied around his waist. “Look, man, we don’t want any trouble,” he warns as he glares at the cookie. “If you’re going to pull anything…”

_Oh, Adventurer. Your futile attempts to save me from my doom touch my heart._

“I’m not looking to start a fight,” the cookie insists. “I only want to talk to him. Alone.”

“Just say what you want to say out here.”

“As much as I’d love that, I doubt _Herb_ would appreciate his personal issues being made public.” The cookie places emphasis on the name while shooting Sparkling a knowing glance.

Sparkling’s breath hitches in his throat. The guy makes a good point, he has to admit; this isn’t about either of them, but rather about Herb. He shouldn’t care about how he himself feels right now when Herb’s the whole reason why his ex is even here in the first place. Clenching his fists, he swallows his nervousness and nods.

“Fine. We can talk.”

“But—” Adventurer tries to protest.

Sparkling waves his hand at him. “It’s fine, Adventurer. I’ll be okay. We’re just going to talk.” He doesn’t even care anymore. So what if this guy is actually going to kill him once it’s just the two of them? At least he would’ve willingly done it for Herb.

It’s the least he owes him after everything that’s happened.

* * *

 

“Really? We can’t do this anywhere else?”

“Hey, it’s not like there are many other options,” Sparkling defensively counters as he and the other cookie stand in the bar’s restroom. “I can’t really leave my bar unattended.”

“I don’t think that was your logic when you carried Herb home after he drank too much,” the cookie mutters, but he shrugs it off anyway. “I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? My name’s Wind Archer.”

 _Wind—_ Sparkling blinks, having expected to be stabbed in the chest with an arrow by now. Needless to say, formalities are the last thing that he’s been anticipating. “Uh, I’m Sparkling.”

Wind Archer nods. “I know.”

Neither of them says anything for a bit.

“So…” Sparkling begins awkwardly. “What’s going on with Herb?”

Wind Archer gives him a hard look. “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

Sparkling flinches at the bluntness of his words. “I said all that for his own good.”

“That’s not the sense I’m getting at the flower shop. He’s so upset, he’s starting to drive away our regulars,” Wind Archer informs him, crossing his arms. “I don’t know what you said or did, but he’s been stuck in his own little, depressed world since he told me he was going to come see you. I don’t think he’s even noticed I’m gone right now.”

“Why do you care?” Sparkling snaps hotly, a sudden surge of anger coming over him to combat the sick feeling of guilt in his stomach. “You’re the one who dumped him and started all of this in the first place! What does it matter to you if he’s upset?!”

Yeah, that’s right. It’s Wind Archer’s fault that this is all happening. If he hadn’t broken up with Herb, then he wouldn’t have broken down that night, Sparkling wouldn’t have realized his own feelings… Sparkling wouldn’t have decided to cut ties. It’s all Wind Archer’s fault.

Still, Wind Archer seems unaffected by the accusation. “He’s more to me than just an ex-boyfriend. He’s my friend first and foremost before anything else. Of course I care.”

 _Excuse me?_ That response… That composure… Everything about this guy just angers Sparkling. A bitter laugh escapes from his mouth. “Is that why you just broke up out of the blue like that? Tell me, what was the reason?”

Wind Archer’s face twitches, the first true, visible indication that Sparkling is getting under his skin.

Sparkling continues to ramble, “Is it because you didn’t like how he wanted to open up a tea shop? Is it because you couldn’t bring yourself to support him? He told me he was worried that this would happen.” He narrows his eyes at Wind Archer. “Or am I wrong? Is there something else? Some _one_ else?”

Wind Archer’s mouth is drawn into a thin, hard line as he glares back at the bartender. Even though he’s clearly been affected by his words, he remains silent, which only serves to fuel Sparkling’s frustration. A heated confrontation would be oodles better than whatever this is.

Sparkling shakes his head, his ire subsiding in lieu of absolute disgust. “I need to get back to the bar. Let’s just both forget this whole thing happened.” He moves past the still unmoving Wind Archer and heads for the restroom door.

He has his hand on the doorknob when he hears Wind Archer finally speak up.

“You’re right. It is someone else.”

Sparkling suddenly feels downright nauseous. “Who?” he asks in spite of himself, his fingers wrapped around the doorknob so tightly that it may as well just break off.

Behind him, he hears Wind Archer sigh impatiently. “Your friends are right. You _are_ a moron.”

“Wha—” Sparkling finally peers back at the scowling Wind Archer, arms crossed and staring him down like he’s ready to murder.

“Who else could it be? It’s you,” Wind Archer practically growls, trudging over in Sparkling’s direction. “You’re why. You call yourself a rebound? Then explain to me why he was always so distracted whenever we passed by your bar.”

_“Who’s that?” Wind Archer asks Herb when he sees him waving through the window of the bar. He watches the bartender on the other side wave back._

_“Sparkling,” Herb replies as they continue on their way to the flower shop. He turns his head to face forward again, and Wind Archer can now see the fond, almost goofy grin on his face._

_It’s an expression that Wind Archer knows all too well. He begins to feel something akin to worry beginning to creep over him, but he swallows it. Surely, it’s just his imagination._

“Explain to me why he could never stop talking about you.”

_“What flowers do you think I should bring over to Sparkling next?”_

_Wind Archer looks up from the ledger, annoyed to see that Herb has stopped sweeping the floor in favor of mindlessly gazing at all the flowers. “You already gave him two,” he grumbles, clenching the pencil in his hand so tightly, he’s surprised it doesn’t break. “If you keep giving them every time you go, he’s going to have more flowers than drinks.”_

_Not that he really cares about that. Or about Sparkling in general. Why should he? He’s never met the guy. He doesn’t really want to, either._

_He’s self-aware enough to admit to himself that he’s a little jealous. It stings more than a little bit to see he gets less attention than some random cookie his boyfriend has met a grand total of two times. He chooses to bite his tongue, however; he’s sure Herb is just excited to meet a new friend and it’ll all blow over eventually—_

_Seemingly not having heard the other cookie, Herb holds up a pot of irises. “Do you think these are good enough?”_

_Wind Archer’s pencil cleanly snaps in two._

“Explain to me why he’d always think about you with that look he used to give me.”

_Wind Archer can’t take this anymore. It’s become clear to him that this isn’t just a phase, and that Herb has only grown increasingly longing for that bartender. It really is strange how much everything can change within the course of several weeks. They’ve been having problems for a while, sure, so much so that Herb was so obviously nervous to tell him that he wants to open a tea shop…_

_But this is the first time that Wind Archer has truly believed that this relationship can’t be salvaged._

_“Herb.”_

_On the sofa across from him, the cookie in question looks up from whatever he’s doing. “Hm?”_

_“We need to talk.”_

He has Sparkling cornered in his own restroom now, but the bartender is way too stunned to feel even remotely threatened by the position. His hand slips limply off of the doorknob, and he can’t keep the tremble out of his voice when he struggles out a meek, “Y… you broke up, because… of me…?”

Wind Archer nods emphatically like he’s finally taught a baby how to walk. “Do you get it now?”

“B-but why did… Does Herb know?”

“Of course he does.” Wind Archer rolls his eyes. “I was the one who even made him realize that he likes you that night. I didn’t think his reaction would be to run out of the house and get drunk.”

Sparkling covers his mouth with both of his hands and sinks to the floor. He feels just about ready to throw up. “I didn’t…”

_“I’m sorry.”_

_Wind Archer momentarily looks away from the tea he’s brewing, glancing at the hungover cookie slumped over their dining table. Even though he has a strong inkling of what Herb is referring to, he still asks, “For what?”_

_“For failing us,” Herb murmurs. “For drifting.”_

_Wind Archer only sighs, turning back to his tea. “I saw him last night, you know.”_

_Herb’s head snaps up, and he gapes at Wind Archer. “What?”_

_“Mhm. He helped you home.”_

_“Ah…” Herb looks down again. “That was nice of him…”_

_When he thinks back to last night, the way Sparkling went to the trouble of balancing Herb on his back, the way Sparkling stared him down as if to dare him to upset Herb further… Wind Archer finds himself wholeheartedly agreeing._

No. No, no, no, no, no.

No.

This is all wrong. It isn’t supposed to be this way. Wind Archer breaks Herb’s heart like a jerk. Herb comes to Sparkling for solace. Sparkling stops Herb before he can sink further. That should be all there is to it.

But it isn’t. Wind Archer turns out to have done it all for Herb. Herb turns out to have mustered up the courage by himself to make a move. Where… Where does this leave Sparkling…? He remembers his last words to Herb:

_“Maybe it’s better if you stop coming to the bar. It’ll give us both a chance to sort our feelings out.”_

Oh, _god_. He has well and truly messed up. Sparkling just wants a black hole to appear in the restroom floor and swallow him up completely. Everyone’s right to call him a moron; that doesn’t even cover the tip of the iceberg. The nerve he had to even _think_ for a second that he was doing the right thing—

He’s the worst.

“You and I aren’t really that different.”

Sparkling peers up at Wind Archer, who has a surprising tinge of gentleness in his eyes. He reasons that it can only be out of pity, because what else could it be? He doesn’t deserve anything more than that. “W-what do you mean?”

Wind Archer shrugs. “We’re both just trying to do what we think is best for Herb, even if we ourselves end up less happy because of it. I probably would’ve done the same thing in your place.”

“But I…”

“It’s not too late for you to make this right.” Wind Archer holds his hand out for Sparkling to take. “He’s still at the flower shop. I’m sure he’d be glad to see you.”

Sparkling turns his head away, refusing to accept his hand. “How could he be? After what I said… How could he not hate me?” He surely would if their roles were switched.

“I’ve never seen him hate someone, no matter what they did to him.” Wind Archer raises an arched eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you at least try? If you don’t, then you’re not the cookie he made you out to be… or the cookie I saw that night.”

Sparkling’s eyes widen when he hears those words, and his hand quickly shoots out to take Wind Archer’s own. Once Wind Archer pulls him to his feet, he immediately turns to open the restroom door behind him… and Adventurer, Vampire, Fire Spirit, and Chili Pepper all come tumbling out in one pile of cookies, having been eavesdropping the entire time. Sparkling tenses for a second, unsure of what to make of all of them scrambling up and stammering out lame excuses for themselves, only to shake his head and dart towards the exit. He doesn’t have time for silly shenanigans.

He emerges through the front door of his bar and barely registers the rain hitting him like a ton of bricks. Without missing a beat, he begins running down the street in the direction of the flower shop, his heart beating as fast as the rainfall soaking him wet, desperate to see Herb. He needs to make right what went wrong two nights ago—he has to _try_. Even if he fails, even if Herb never forgives him…

He doesn’t want to think about that right now, because that’s not important right now. His habit of mulling over the worst-case scenarios before they even happen is what landed him in this predicament in the first place. For now, all that matters is finding Herb at the flower shop. He doesn’t know how he’s going to apologize or how Herb will even react to his being there, but he can deal with that when the time comes.

He’s done overthinking everything.

_“‘Wasn’t the one,’ huh… I’ve spent pretty much my entire life thinking he was the one… What do I do if he isn’t?”_

_“Then he just isn’t. Maybe the right cookie is still out there somewhere, waiting for you to turn their entire life around. It could happen tomorrow, it could happen in years. It all depends on what life wants to throw at us.”_

He only begins to slow down his sprint when the flower shop comes into view. He suddenly becomes very aware of how drenched he is by now, his clothes clinging to his body and his hair having lost its usual volume.

But he doesn’t care.

_“If you ever feel like the world’s stopped listening to you, just know that you'll have me, as your bartender and as your friend.”_

_“You juss make me feel better with everything you say… I feel so safe when I’m with you…”_

He slows to a complete halt directly in front of the flower shop. He bends down, resting his hands on his knees, allowing himself a bit of time to catch his breath. He probably looks crazy right now to everyone who may be watching him from the other side of the street, or even inside the shop.

But he doesn’t care.

_“I figured you didn’t want to see me—”_

_“No! I thought_ you _didn’t want to see_ me _after what happened.”_

Now that his adrenaline is no longer coursing through his entire body, he can feel his anxiety coming back to haunt him. _It’s not too late to turn back,_ a tiny voice whispers in the back of his mind, but he quickly shuts it out before it can get to him. He swings open the front door of the shop and steps inside, directly challenging all of his nerves to try to overcome him now.

Because he doesn’t care.

_“I think I’m falling in love with you.”_

The shop is surprisingly empty and still, with no other cookie, not even Herb, in his sight. All he sees is flowers—lots and lots of flowers. Flowers line the shelves on the white walls from corner to corner, large flower pots adorn the linoleum floor in various places… As Sparkling slowly makes his way further into the shop, searching for Herb, he can’t help but notice how the flower arrangements make him feel like he’s just entered a giant kaleidoscope.

 _Herb’s really smart,_ he thinks to himself. If he were a florist, would he be able to remember all the different kinds of flowers and their meanings? And to arrange them together in a way so they wouldn’t clash…

Despite being overwhelmed, some all-too-familiar flowers catch his eye among all of the unknown ones. They look a bit out of place on this particular shelf, as if a previous customer had picked them up from someplace else but had thrown them to the side after deciding they didn’t want them anymore. With his fingers brushing up against his own lips, Sparkling stops to gaze at the pot of blossoming lilacs for a bit.

Just as he picks them up from the shelf, he hears the sound of something hitting the ground and breaking only a few feet away. He looks to see what it is, and his heart just about stops.

Herb. With a broken pot of bright blue flowers at his feet. Staring back at Sparkling like he’s a ghost. With all the color drained from his face.

“Herb—”

“W-welcome to the f-flower shop!” Herb stutters out. “W-what can I do for you today, sir?”

“Herb…”

Sparkling takes a step forward, and Herb takes a step back. The former deflates for a moment, but he steels himself. He’s not going to give up now.

“I want to talk about the other night.”

“A-ah…” Herb looks down, finally taking in the broken flower pot at his feet. “M-my forget-me-nots!” He crouches and frantically tries to sweep up all the soil and the broken shards and the fallen flowers. “My—ow…” He flinches and pulls back his hand as he accidentally cuts his finger on a shard.

Concerned, Sparkling rushes over and kneels down in front of him. He sets the lilacs down on the floor beside them. “Are you okay? Be careful.”

“My forget-me-nots…” Herb murmurs, still gazing down at the mess and holding his wounded finger. “My…”

A couple of teardrops begin hitting the floor. He falls back into a sitting position and covers his face with his hands. Quiet sobs begin to wrack his body, and the tears slip through his fingers.

Sparkling moves closer, careful to avoid the broken pieces on the floor. “Hey…”

“Please don’t forget me…” Herb whimpers, continuing to weep despondently. “Please don’t…”

Sparkling’s eyes widen in realization, and he quickly reaches out to gently remove Herb’s hands from his face. “Herb, look at me.”

Herb finally does. His eyes are red and puffy, as if he’s actually been crying for a while before Sparkling even arrived, and the sight and thought are enough to make the bartender want to break down himself.

“I won’t forget you,” he tells Herb gently. “Why do you think I’m here?”

Herb only shakes his head, obviously nervous to hear the answer. He’s trembling, Sparkling notices, eyes refusing to leave his. It’s almost like he’s afraid he would be abandoned the second he looks away.

But Sparkling isn’t going to abandon him. Not again. Not ever.

“I’m so sorry,” Sparkling begins, his voice hoarse, still holding onto Herb’s hands. “I never meant to hurt you like this. I said you were the one who was confused about his own feelings, but it was actually me.”

Herb sniffles, but it’s clear he’s listening. Sparkling already hates how ugly his apology sounds coming out of his mouth, but he pushes on. He can’t back down, he can’t.

“I was so scared,” he continues, his vision beginning to blur. “I felt like things were moving too fast, so that night, when I—when we…” He still remembers the sensation of Herb’s lips on his. Oh, how he longs for that now. “I just… I took it out on you. But the truth is…”

He lets go of Herb’s hands, reaching up to caress both of his cheeks gently. As he wipes his tears away with his thumbs, he feels some begin to fall from his own eyes.

“I feel like I’m falling in love with you, too.”

The words linger in the air as he watches Herb’s eyes widen at the confession. Still, he goes on.

“I thought there was no way you could ever return my feelings, especially so soon after your last boyfriend. But I’m here right now because I don’t want to run away anymore. So even if you never forgive me, then…” He takes a long, shuddery breath, desperately hoping that that won’t be the case. “Then I hope you’ll at least remember me through your lilacs.”

Herb still doesn’t say anything, but his damp eyes momentarily dart over to the lilacs beside them before returning to Sparkling. His silence prompts the latter to rub his eyes and sigh, looking down at the fallen forget-me-nots.

“Let me help you clean this up before I leave—”

He shuts up when Herb leans forward and gently kisses him, a huge contrast to the passionate one they shared at the bar a couple nights before. It lasts only for a few seconds before the florist pulls away, and Sparkling has to will himself to not just grab him and pull him back in.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Herb finally speaks, a huge smile on his face as he wipes away the last of his tears.

For Sparkling, meanwhile, those three words lift are so unexpected that he’s not sure if he can believe them. “H-how?” he manages to stutter out. “I-I hurt you… You have every right to hate me!”

“This whole time, I was thinking that I was the one who messed up,” Herb explains. “I thought I ruined our friendship, so when you came, I thought you were here to tell me you never wanted to see me again.”

Sparkling rapidly shakes his head, barely able to register the hot tears streaming down his face. “N-no!” He can’t believe that he made Herb think something so horrible. “God, I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Herb leans forward again, this time wrapping his arms around Sparkling in a warm hug. “Don’t cry.” His voice is especially silky and soothing at this very moment.

Sparkling, burying his face into Herb’s shoulder, reaches up and clings to the back of Herb’s shirt. “You cried to me before. This makes us even,” he murmurs, not wanting this moment to pass.

His physiological processes have other plans, though, because he suddenly sneezes. Herb pulls back in alarm, gasping audibly when he sees the bartender’s condition. “You’re soaking wet!” he exclaims, horrified, somehow only noticing now for the first time. “Did you not have an umbrella?! You’ll get sick!” He starts untying Sparkling’s bow tie and unbuttoning the buttons at the top of his shirt.

“H-hey, wait!” Sparkling’s face reddens. “Sh-shouldn’t we take care of the flowers first?!”

“Huh?” Herb looks down and yelps when he sees the mess at their feet. “I-I forgot! My forget-me-nots! How could I forget about _forget-me-nots_?! I need to hurry up and replant them before it’s too late! I think I have a broom in the back…”

He completely lets go of the flustered Sparkling and stands up, rushing toward the back end of the flower shop. _Is it possible to be jealous of plants for taking away Herb’s attention?_ Sparkling wonders dazedly on the floor, eyes still dewy.

Yes. Yes, it is.

* * *

 

“So, about that tea shop…”

Herb looks up from his forget-me-nots, now replanted in a brand new flower pot. Sparkling’s suspenders and bow tie are now hanging on the shelves next to some flowers, and Herb was considerate enough to lend him a spare towel. As he dries his hair, he continues:

“I never told you, but I know of an empty space for rent close by. If you want, I can help you with that, if you’re still up for it.” These last two days have been such an emotional rollercoaster ride, the whole subject of Herb’s prospective tea shop almost feels like a distant figment of his own imagination.

Herb doesn’t say anything for a second, only staring back at him, but then he breaks out into a beaming grin. And after all of the heartache and the tears and the grief he’s caused him, Sparkling can feel the butterflies fluttering about in his stomach at the realization that he’s made Herb smile for once. He doesn’t want to ever make Herb cry again, no matter what.

With these thoughts in mind, he finds himself leaning forward and kissing Herb again, with a pot of lilacs next to them blooming a beautiful lavender hue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE WE GO!!! thank you so so much to everyone who's bothered to stick with me throughout this entire little miniseries that I thought up one night, started writing the very next day, and finished after (give or take) 8 days of doing pretty much nothing else on the internet. my fanfiction muse hasn't been this alive in literal years ~~tho at the time of writing this note, it's dead of exhaustion. rip~~
> 
> if you guys are regular visitors of the cookie run ao3 page (rather than just having clicked on my fic the one time you chose to visit), then chances are you will see me post again sooner rather than later~ I have a much larger project in its planning stages currently, plus I'm open to suggestions that you can give me at my links down below:  
> twitter: [bobaaddiict](twitter.com/bobaaddiict)  
> tumblr: [bobaaddict](bobaaddict.tumblr.com)  
>  ~~and a little fyi I may or may not post little updates in my writing every once in a while... soz shameless self-plug one last time~~
> 
> once again, thank you so much for taking the time to read!! I'll see all of you later <3
> 
> (p.s. maybe I should write a little followup to this fic centering wind archer or something... can't help but feel like I screwed him over big time in the events of the story)


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